Brightly Burning
by The Sadistic Cow
Summary: The Fiery card reflects on a past love and his current position as one of Sakura's cards complete
1. Reflection

Standard disclaimers apply—Card Captor Sakura and all affiliated with do not belong to me. They belong to the people who made them, and I am NOT one of them. Dammit.

Note: This is my first Card Captors story, so please review kindly! Send me constructive criticism, no flames allowed! If you no like what I write, there's no need to flame me in a nasty manner. If you give respect, that is more often than not what you will receive. J 

Summary: The Fiery card reflects on a past love and his current position as one of Sakura's cards.

Warnings: Minor swearing, angst, AU, maybe some OOC-ness floating around, some violence, etc…

Brightly Burning

By: The Sadistic Cow

Eurynome69@hotmail.com OR eurynome@christismybitch.com 

Fiery watched through lidded eyes as Sakura slept, the sheets pulled up to her chin as she snuggled deeper into their warmth. Snow fell softly outside, misting up the window until hardly anything could be seen, and the room was a little chillier than it should have been. The heating system was failing, and in the morning someone was supposed to come and fix it. Until then, however, Sakura would have to suffer with the cooler temperature of the house.

The Clow card didn't like that. His amber eyes flashed as he left his card, appearing above Sakura's bed in a blaze of flame. He could feel the other's eyes on him; none of them trusted him. They thought since he had such a nasty temper and despised being captured and having his freedom stolen from him, he would hurt their mistress. 'On the contrary,' he thought with an inward sneer at the others as they watched him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. 'I am the only one with the power to aid Sakura in this particular plight.'

Ever since he had been captured by the young girl, Fiery had been watching her closely, analyzing her personality and intents. After being called upon her several times to do battle and capture another of his 'family', Fiery had deemed Sakura to be worthy of his servitude. She was honest, caring, loving, playful, and many things that the card liked in a master, or mistress. In fact, she reminded him of someone he had known long ago, before he had been trapped in the Clow Book and then accidentally released when Sakura called out Windy's name.

Setting his hands out before him, palms flat, Fiery let a gentle stream of flames encircle both the ceiling and the floor, adding heat to the chilly room. He could still feel the others watching him; Watery tense and ready to spring forth of he should so much as let a spark touch Sakura. Fiery snorted disdainfully to himself as he rolled his eyes at them. 'What single-minded peons…after all this time we've worked together and they still don't trust me. How pathetic.'

He allowed himself to drift in the air, being careful not to let any of his flame touch Sakura or her belongings. Despite knowing that she was the one who took his freedom from him, he cared for her. 'More than I should,' he added mentally, frowning slightly. His eyes traveled about the room before landing once more on Sakura's face, where they softened slightly. 'She reminds me so much of San…'

Shaking his head roughly, Fiery berated himself at the thought. 'No! You can't think of her! She is…long dead, and nothing can bring her back. Best not to dwell in the past…' His eyes still watched Sakura as she lay sleeping peacefully, and he couldn't stop the flow of memories as they came at him, hard and unforgiving. 'But it is so hard…'

He blinked slowly, then jumped in surprise as Sakura mumbled something in her sleep, turning over and snuggling deeper into the warmth. Fiery felt his heart melt a little at the sight of her, curled up into a little ball, a tiny smile on her face. 'That face…the button nose…her eyes…she looks so like San…' 

Floating down closer to his mistress, Fiery couldn't help but analyze every aspect of her features; staring at them and making comparisons as the other cards slowly came forth and watched him, canting their heads in confusion. He didn't pay them any mind, only continued to float just inches above Sakura, eyes roaming over her face. 

'San was kind. She always wished to help people, and hated to see anyone hurt. Just like Sakura. They even look alike, although how that came to be is unknown.' Fiery frowned, cocking his head to the side. 'But San's hair is…was…red. A flaming red that none could match. Her eyes were as blue as the crashing ocean, face as cool and pale as milk, and her smile…' He closed his eyes, remembering as a smile of his own crossed his lips. 'Her smile could outshine the sun.'

Fiery sighed, blinking quickly as he felt hot liquid stinging at his eyes. He wiped at them, and was surprised to find tears on his hand. He swallowed. 'I…am crying. But…I haven't cried since…since…' The Clow card drew in a sharp breath, hands clenching into fists as he pulled away from Sakura's sleeping form as quickly as he could without waking her. His eyes blazed, sparkling with tears as he pulled away and into the corner of the ceiling where he floated, wrapping his wings around him as though they were a shield.

His face contorted in pain as he finished the thought, shuddering in remembrance. 'I haven't cried since she burned to death.' He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the memories, though they came at him relentlessly anyway. The flames, the screaming, the sirens…Fiery hissed. He had to get away from there. He needed to think.

Snapping his wings open, Fiery abruptly came face to face with Watery, who gave him an unreadable stare that made him grimace. "What do you want?" he snapped, quietly so he wouldn't disturb Sakura or Kero. 

Watery kept her stare neutral. "What bothers you?" she growled back, just as softly.

"That," the fire element card ground out, "is none of your business." With that said, Fiery unfolded his wings all the way and pushed past Watery, who grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?"

"That is also none of your business," Fiery hissed. "But I will return." Watery opened her mouth to protest when Windy spoke up, her voice gentle in the tense room.

"Let him go, sister," she said, opening her eyes slightly from where she floated on the other side of the room, next to Sakura's bed. Her eyes locked with Fiery's in an unreadable look. "I believe him."

Watery growled, not letting go of Fiery's arm. "But—"

"Trust him, Watery," Wood added, from where she sat at the foot of Sakura's bed, keeping watch over her mistress. Her eyes were soft and gentle as they gazed at the two. "If he says he will return, then so he shall. Allow him some time to himself." Watery snarled quietly, turning back to glare at Fiery.

"If you don't come back, I will hunt you down and destroy you," she finally said, letting go of his arm and moving aside to let him pass. Fiery nodded.

"Very well, but there will be no need," he grunted, flying past her and to the window. It opened, and he vanished out into the night.

To be continued…

Ok, I just wanna know…should I finish this? What do you guys think? For this one I thrive on reviews, because I don't really know how I'm doing.


	2. Flight at Night

Standard disclaimers apply—Card Captor Sakura and all affiliated with do not belong to me. They belong to the people who made them, and I am NOT one of them. Dammit.

Note: Thanks to the people who reviewed and liked my story! Thank you so much, I thrive on reviews! And actually, that one idea of a Sakura/Fiery romance thing actually seems like a good idea…I might do that. But, seeing as how I'm loaded down with other fan fictions that I need to finish (Where Shadows Lie, my Gundam Wing story which has taken like, a year or more to get started on again!!!), I might or might not go further into CC. *thinks* I still need to get that Mighty Ducks fic out of my head so it won't bug me anymore, and now there's this one, the three or four Gargoyles series I have going on and the two Gundam Wing stories I have to do…O.o Damn, I watch too many cartoons and write too much. lol

Summary: The Fiery card reflects on a past love and his current position as one of Sakura's cards.

Warnings: Minor swearing, angst, AU, maybe some OOC-ness floating around, some violence, etc…

Brightly Burning

By: The Sadistic Cow

Eurynome69@hotmail.com OR eurynome@christismybitch.com

Flying above the city with a stream of flames blazing behind him, Fiery's thoughts were anything but pleasant. They roamed from the present to the past unequally, comparing his 'life' now to what it had been thirty or so years ago.

'San…you had to leave me, didn't you? I lived only for you…it was you who kept my spirits up, you who showed me that life was more than a battle between I and the other cards. My soul burned only for you, and brightly it did so. Why did you have to leave in the very flames I am made from?' He closed his eyes as he let the wind caress him, mind searching further and further back, into a time and place he cherished and despised all at once.

************

Flashback

Her name was San, and she had just turned ten years old. Her eyes were wide, round, and a bright blue, like the ocean. Her face was round, with a small button nose in the middle, and long, flaming red strands of hair often turned her pale white skin into a pink tinge. Today she was dressed in a blue, flowered kimono, her waist-length fiery hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. She had a bright smile on her face as she skipped to school, holding her books tightly in her arms.

She didn't notice she was being followed by several larger and older boys as she turned a corner and began walking down a hidden street, between several sets of apartments. Garbage and trash cans were everywhere, crumpled of pieces of paper being blown about in an unseen wind as San skipped happily along, the smile never leaving her face even though she was in one of the worst areas of her town. She didn't hear the heavier footsteps over her humming, or the harsh breathing that came from the largest boy.

"Hey, girl," a nasal voice said as a hand seized her shoulder and spun her around. "Gimme your lunch!" San gasped as she came face-to-chest with one of the boys from her school, an eighth grader by the name of Nanaka Tai. He sneered at her as three of his friends joined him, all of them glaring at San.

"T-Tai? What do you want?"

"You heard me!" Tai snapped, annoyed. "Give me your lunch!"

"I'll share it with you, if you want…"

Tai shook her, causing San to cry out and drop her books and lunch bag. "I don't want to SHARE, San! I want the WHOLE thing!"

San pouted, eyes watering. "But…"

Tai was raising his hand, preparing to strike her when a sudden gust of wind blew through the alley, and loose trash abruptly caught fire. Flames began to swirl and dance around the five children, who gasped and watched in growing horror as something rose from the flames. Tai whimpering, letting San go to drop to the ground, her blue eyes wide. A voice spoke from the raging flames that circled them, distaste and anger evident in the tone.

"Picking on little girls…how immature," a young, male voice hissed. The blaze parted to reveal a creature the colour of fire, with flaming hair and amber eyes that glared daggers at the four boys. "Why in the world Clow Reed would want me to exist alongside creatures like you I will never know," Fiery snarled, snapping his wings open to their fullest. "Perhaps you should pick on someone your own strength and size…like ME."

Tai let out a wailing cry, turning on his heels and dashing away, his three little hoodlum friends hot on his heels. San still sat where she was, watching Fiery as he watched the four boys run away, a sneer on his face. "How pathetic…they enjoy harassing those smaller and weaker than they, and the moment they face something that is their equal or better, they run home to their mothers."

Suddenly remembering that he still had an audience, Fiery turned to look at San, who watched him in awe and amazement. He lifted an eyebrow at her. "And what, may I ask, are you looking at?" he demanded.

San blinked. "You…you saved me!"

Fiery snorted. "They would not have hurt you much. They were disturbing my rest with their inane prattle and pathetic threats toward you. I did nothing special."

San smiled at him, and Fiery suddenly felt his mouth go dry. Her face seemed to…light up, with a joy he had never seen on any human's face, and it astonished him. She continued to smile at him, ignoring the strange expression on his face as she spoke. "But you saved me, still…they would have taken the lunch my mother made for me! We don't have a lot, and it was all I had for today. Thank you."

Fiery snorted, shrugging his shoulders as he floated down next to the girl, who continued to gaze at him in absolute wonder. "I said already, that it was nothing. Do not make it any more than it is." Another thought occurred to him, and he gave her a curious look. "Why are you not afraid of me?"

She gave him an equally questioning and curious look. "Why should I be? You helped me, and have done nothing wrong. Why should I be afraid?"

"Because of this," he pointed at his wings, "and this," pointing at the flames that surrounded him. When she only shrugged, he gave her an open-mouth stare. "That is it? Just…" He shrugged, imitating her. She shrugged again, smiled, and nodded. Fiery put his hands on his hips, giving her a cursory look. "You are a strange mortal…" He trailed off, not knowing her name.

"San," she said, sticking out her hand. Fiery looked at the offered hand, then at her sea-blue eyes which sparkled with warmth and mirth. Finally, after a moment, he smiled back and took her hands in his.

"Fiery," he told her.

They shook, and San's smile widened.

* * * * * * * * * * *

He didn't know why, but he had followed the girl to school and then home again. He had watched her for several days, wondering if he should show himself to her again. She would have been late for school that day, and so he had flown her the rest of the way. They had talked idly about things, San mostly asking questions and Fiery answering, though he asked a few of his own. He was a little concerned about revealing himself as a Clow card, but it didn't seem to matter all that much when he was actually with her. She didn't seem to care what he was; she just seemed to enjoy his company.

And he liked that.

* * * * * * * * * * *

It was a few days later before Fiery decided to show himself to her again. Hovering just outside her window, Fiery peered in to see her getting ready for bed. Slightly hesitant, he tapped lightly on the window to get her attention, and she spun around in nervous fear to see who it was. When she saw him, the same smile that had caught his attention the first day came forth, and Fiery, despite all nervous tension at being caught, found he had to smile back.

She ran to the window, flinging it open with a broad smile on her face. "Fiery! You came back!" she said in an excited whisper. He nodded, smiling.

"Yes, I did," he replied. Then, not sure what to say, "Umm…what are you up to tonight?"

San pouted. "Mother says I have to go to bed so that I can wake up in time for school tomorrow," she told him in a soft whisper. At his fallen expression, a wicked grin played across her face. "But I don't always do what mother says!"

With that, San began to climb out the window in her pajamas, to Fiery's shock and dismay. He opened his mouth to say that if she wasn't careful she would fall, when she abruptly launched herself at him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, legs around his waist, and clung to him like a monkey so she wouldn't drop to the ground.

Fiery froze, as shock rendered him unable to move or do anything as San clutched to his neck tightly. She smiled up at him and winked. That seemed to break the amazed trance he was in, as Fiery had to swallow a laugh so her parents wouldn't hear. San smiled again, and leaned towards his ear. 

"Can we fly?" she whispered.

Fiery's own smile grew and his eyes lit up. He brought his arms around her waist and flapped his wings as though to prove that they were sturdy. "Of course! It is one of the things I do best!"

* * * * * * * * * * *

They flew for what seemed to be an eternity that night, soaring on the winds and darting through the clouds happily. Cradled tightly in his arms, San's smile never ceased as they spun and careened through the sky, up and down, side to side and every which way until her hair came loose from its bindings and fluttered behind her. She couldn't seem to stop laughing, the light tinkling of her voice sending waves of pleasure and gladness through the fire card's entire being. He made several bad attempts at jokes with her, which only caused her to laugh more. Her laugh was wonderful, full of joy and light with mirth, and he couldn't seem to get enough of it. So he did everything he could to make her laugh.

It was long past midnight when San finally let out a large yawn, and her eyes began to drift closed. Fiery noticed this, and questioned it. She smiled at him sleepily. "No, I'm okay. Can we fly some more?"

Fiery lifted an eyebrow at her. "The Fly card is better suited for that," he told her. "And being a human, you need to sleep more than I." San protested, but Fiery shook his head. "It's time for you to be at home now, sleeping in your bed. We can go flying another time." San smiled at that, and leaned her head against his shoulder as Fiery flapped his wings lazily and turned around, heading back to her home.

They reached it in record time, and Fiery slipped in through the window. He glanced around for a moment before placing San in her bed and bringing the covers up to her chin. She was half-asleep by that time, but fought to stay awake. She blinked lazily at him, about ready to fall asleep at any moment. He began to turn away and leave, but she spoke in a soft, hushed voice. "Fiery?"

He paused, and turned to look back at her. "Yes?"

"Can you come back tomorrow? I want to see you again…" She yawned loudly and Fiery chuckled at the sight.

"Of course," he replied, leaning down toward her. "I'll come whenever you want me to." San smiled, and once again Fiery felt that strange tingling sensation run through him at the sight.

"'K. G'night, Fiery," she whispered, turning over and snuggling deeper into the covers. Her flaming hair spread all across the pillow, and Fiery smiled as he touched it. It was soft, silky and, in his opinion, a wonderful colour. His eyes were gentler than they had ever been as he kissed her forehead and ran a finger across her cheek.

"Good night, San."

To be continued…

I know, I know, this one is kinda short and weird, but…oh well. I think the rating is going to go up a little more, because what I have planned for the next few chapters gets pretty nasty. Later chapters get pretty freaky. Some parts, anyway. Oh well, I hope you like this one and I hope you'll all keep reviewing! It means a lot to me, really.


	3. Deny Her Nothing

Standard disclaimers apply—Card Captor Sakura and all affiliated with do not belong to me. They belong to the people who made them, and I am NOT one of them. Dammit.

Note: Yay, chapter three! What fun! How are you guys liking it? Yea or nay? The reviews look good so far, but PLEASE, I need MORE!!! I am a review junkie, I live off reviews! Lol Anyway, this chapter is kinda weird. I'm keeping this story light-hearted, unlike my other fics which are pretty hard-core…*winces* This is the first story I've done that probably doesn't have seriously major angst and nasty stuff. Hehe. I'm amazed, I CAN write for all ages! Hahaha! BTW, I made up some funky thing about Clow Reed leaving on a tour of the world or something, so Fiery wouldn't have anyone to spy on him or whatever…I made it up, ok?? Don't sue me, even though I'm sure Clow Reed would never do that…blah. See the AU warning?? That means I can do whatever I want! Heeheheeheeheehee!!!

Summary: The Fiery card reflects on a past love and his current position as one of Sakura's cards.

Warnings: Minor swearing, angst, AU, maybe some OOC-ness floating around, some violence, etc…

Brightly Burning

By: The Sadistic Cow

Eurynome69@hotmail.com OR eurynome@christismybitch.com

The next three weeks were the best of Fiery's life; he spent every moment he could with San, whether he was just sitting outside her window or taking her for their nightly flights. He saw her interact with her mother, and found that the woman was almost as likeable as her daughter, something that Fiery noted for future reference 'just in case'. He waited for her in the morning to follow her to school, and he followed her home after. They spent half the night together, every night, and they flew all over town. It was like every night after the first was the same; a moment in time that was fragile but strong, a memory that was relived every single night. Neither of them spoke a word of it to anyone else, but San's behavior indicated to her mother that she had a 'special someone'; something that her mother teased San about constantly.

In Fiery's case, he had no one to answer to. Clow Reed was traveling the world, and had left Fiery behind to do what he wanted. The fire element card didn't quite understand that; he was actually quite dangerous, so why would his master want to leave him alone to possible destroy the whole town? Fiery figured that to gain trust, one must first earn it. Clow Reed was testing him. 

'Well, I'll show him how well-mannered I can be!' he thought saucily. 'Teach him that I am able to have manners…after a sort.' Fiery smirked and chuckled at that thought. 'San's manners are wearing off on me…she seems bent on making me into the perfect gentleman. Never mind the fact that I'm not even human…oh well.'

And it was true; San was after teaching him how to use chopsticks, to speak in a soft and easy voice rather than a harsh one, proper grammar, how to dress properly. 'I don't think she notices that I don't wear clothes,' Fiery had thought while trying not to laugh as she picked through a rack of clothes and thought about which ones would suit him best. 'If I put those on they'll burn up. I don't exactly have legs, either…'

They spent their time together, and learned about each other. They became friends quite fast, but the line between friendship and love was drawn three months after their first meeting, when San didn't meet him in the alley to walk to school…

* * * * * * * * * * *

Fiery frowned as he floated from one side of the alley to the other, a deep frown etched on his face. His thoughts ran at a mile a minute, and all around him his flames were growing, burning brightly as his agitation turned to an extreme. His wings flapped and his hair twisted and flickered as his eyes blazed and then dimmed, only to light up again before dimming once more. His lips pulled back from his teeth and his heart thumped rapidly in his chest as nervous tension and growing fear swept across his mind. 

It was nine in the morning, and San hadn't come to meet him on her way to school. 

San was never late.

Never.

With a hissing growl, Fiery snapped himself around, wings spreading wide as the flames that always surrounded him began to encase him in their hot depths. His eyes flashed with fear and anger, and his hands were clenched into fists. 'San is never late…NEVER! Something must have happened. Maybe those boys decided to pick on her a little closer to her home, though I thought I had gotten rid of them for good that last time…'

He made a decision. 'I'm going to find her. If she's not at home…gods, I won't even think of it.' He vanished into a puff of fire, shooting down the alley like a torpedo, eyes and mind focused on one thing: finding San and making sure she was alright.

* * * * * * * * *

The sound of breaking glass and loud, angry and frightened voices assaulted his ears as Fiery whipped around the corner and came to be in front of San's home. His eyes narrowed as they spied the broken door, shattered to pieces as though something had slammed into it with the force of a bomb. The front window was also broken, shattered pieces of glass strewn everywhere as well as a broken chair lying out on the front lawn.

Fiery's eyes narrowed as he paused for a moment to analyze the situation. He was still floating there a moment later, watching, when a blood-curdling scream tore through his ears. His eyes flashed open wide, blazing with fury. "San!"

No longer hesitating, Fiery launched himself forward and towards the house, the flames around him burning brighter by the second. He exploded through the broken doorway, zooming from room to room in search of her. 'By the gods I will KILL anyone who DARES to lay a hand on her!'

Smashing through the door of the living room in a blaze of flames and fury, Fiery found who he was looking for. "San!"

Dead silence followed the cry, and the fire element card found himself on the receiving end of one drunken, blood-shot and enraged stare. A very large, very burly man with messy red hair and piercing green eyes stood in the middle of the room, holding San by the hair. The girl had a large purple bruise forming on her cheek and eye already, and Fiery couldn't help but stare at her now-marred perfection. The man swayed on his feet, San held in one hand and a large, jagged-edged knife in the other. It didn't seem to bother him that something made of fire was floating in the doorway to the living room; in fact, he only seemed angered that he was interrupted.

"Who the fuck are you?" the man demanded, slurring as he jabbed the knife in Fiery's direction. Fiery's eyes snapped from the sobbing San to the red-haired man, and they narrowed dangerously. He dimly noted San's mother cowering in the corner, eyes wide in absolute terror.

Lifting a hand, Fiery pointed one long, slim finger in the man's direction. "You," he growled, his voice harsh, threatening, and deep, "What have you done to San?"

The man glared at him, sneering as he shook San, who cried out in pain at having her hair and scalped yanked on painfully. "What's it to you, freak?" he grunted. Suddenly he laughed, sneering at Fiery as the Clow card hovered where he was, burning with fury. "You like my daughter, don't you, freak?" He laughed heartily and threw San to the floor

Fiery didn't answer. He stared at the man in total shock and growing rage. 'That…that BEAST is San's father?! Unbelievable!' His eyes darted to San, and narrowed. 'The eyes, the hair…it is the same. Oh, my poor San!'

Snapping back around to stare at San's father, Fiery felt his rage grow. 'I don't care…I don't care if he IS her father or not! I won't le him hurt her again!' Spreading his wings wide, Fiery lifted his hands in the air as the flames around him began to grow, getting brighter and hotter with every second. "How dare you," he growled deep in his throat. "How dare you lay a finger on her!" His eyes blazed brightly as he lunged forward, grabbing the man up and holding him in the air by the front of his shirt.

The man screamed as his feet dangled in the air, and Fiery shook him violently. "Stupid man! You are just like a little boy, unable to fight someone your size or strength!" His eyes flashed dangerously, crackling with flames as he brought his face close to the man's, breathing heavily. "You pathetic human…I'll kill you slowly, and painfully, for hurting San." He wrapped his other hand around the man's throat and was preparing to squeeze when a voice cried out, freezing him.

"Fiery, wait!"

San.

Fiery froze at the sound of her voice, turning slowly to look at her. She had gotten up from her position on the floor and was hanging onto his arm, eyes wide and wet as she stared up at him. "Fiery, please don't hurt Papa!"

"What?!"

San gave him an imploring look, clutching his arm tighter. "Don't kill my Papa…I know he's not very nice and he sometimes hits me, but…" She gave the man a teary-eyed look before casting her eyes back on Fiery, who faltered under them. "He's still my Papa."

As his gaze went between San and her father, Fiery's mind was in a whirl. 'She doesn't want me to hurt him…but how can't I? He was trying to hurt her, possibly even kill her if I hadn't intervened…and she wants me to let him go? I can't!" But, looking into her wide, watery eyes, Fiery found his grip on her father's throat loosening. His own eyes softened as he continued to stare into her face, amber eyes searching blue ones for any sign of change. 'I can't deny her anything, is what I can't do,' he thought.

Slowly, he pulled his eyes from hers and stared at her father, who was still trying to breathe in Fiery's painful grip. His eyes narrowed, and with one jerk of his arm, the man was thrown halfway across the room, where he landed with a crash. He groaned as he struggled to his feet, and Fiery floated toward him, sticking his face right into San's father's. He growled as her father cowered back, eyes wide. 

"If you ever touch her again," Fiery hissed in a deep, threatening, grating voice, "I will not hesitate to kill you. Very painfully, and very slowly. Understand?" The man glared at him, but nodded. Fiery snorted and pulled back, allowing San's father room to leave. San stood behind him, watching and cupping one cheek in her hand. Her father sneered at Fiery, then at San, and then at her mother, who had gotten to her feet and watched everything with shocked eyes.

Fiery growled low in his throat, and the man sneered at him before stomping out the door. "Don't think this is over yet, freak,' he grit out, stomping away. He was gone in seconds, and San sagged in relief.

"Oh, thank you, Fiery," she whispered, reaching up to hug him. The fire element card gave her a stern, reprimanding look.

"I could have killed him, San," he whispered back, still trembling from the overwhelming rage he had felt before. "I could have made sure he'd never come back. Why did you stop me?"

San looked at him, and smiled a sad smile. "He's my Papa," she said simply. Then she hugged him again, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on tightly. Fiery sighed, closing his eyes as he hugged her back, all the while his mind going over the last thing her father had said, something San obviously didn't hear.

'Don't think this is over yet, freak…'

To be continued…


	4. Drowning

Standard disclaimers apply—Card Captor Sakura and all affiliated with do not belong to me. They belong to the people who made them, and I am NOT one of them. Dammit.

Note: Whooo-hooo! What, this chapter four now? Wow, I'm almost done! Haha! Anyway, thanks a lot for all the kind reviews, you guys! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! You guys ROCK!!! I hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the others, and I hope you like the next ones just as much too! I LOVE reviews! They let me know how I'm doing and if anyone wants to see more of this. Please keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing! At least, until I finish this story, anyway. Hehe. Thanks a lot for the wonderful reviews! It means a lot to me, really.

Summary: The Fiery card reflects on a past love and his current position as one of Sakura's cards.

Warnings: Minor swearing, angst, AU, maybe some OOC-ness floating around, some violence, etc…

Brightly Burning

By: The Sadistic Cow

Eurynome69@hotmail.com OR eurynome@christismybitch.com

It was three days later when Fiery and San finally saw each other again. Upon noticing her mother watching him, about ready to scream, Fiery had hugged San quickly and taken off in a blaze of flame. He hadn't had physical contact with her for several days, due to the fact that her mother wouldn't let her out of the house for fear of her father showing up again.

Fiery had nearly lost his mind in those three lonely days, flying about his home in a flurry of flames and nervous energy. He wandered to her house, flew above it, circled it, patrolled the area to make sure her father had not returned, but he hadn't shown himself to her. During that time, he wondered why he was being so overprotective of her. 

'She is my friend…of course, I know that. But why is it when she is near me that I tingle all over, or when she hugs me I feel a warmth greater than the sun spreading through me, and why do I always feel such an overwhelming joy when I see her? It's unusual, unnatural…not that I don't like it, of course. It's just…oh, I don't know!! I feel so strange! I wish Clow Reed was here, I could ask him what this strange feeling is.'

He went through the books in his master's library in search of answers. 'Humans write about EVERYTHING, from the most inane thing to the most important and prominent. There MUST be an answer in these books somewhere!' Reading the human books and understanding them was a little harder than he expected, but actually finding anything on what he felt was next to impossible. His emotions were so strange, unnamable, indescribable; and yet they were the easiest thing to pick out among the writings of the human language.

It was on the third day that he thought he found an answer. Reading through a strange novel called "Passion's Play", which consisted of a beautiful woman finding a handsome man and 'falling in love' with him. Fiery found that the emotions the fictional woman felt mirrored his own; a great joy when they were together, a sadness when they were separated…humans called it "love".

Fiery canted his head to the side and frowned slightly. 'Am I, as a Clow Card, able to love?' he wondered, scratching his chin. 'I must be, if I am feeling these things. So…is that what I feel for San? Such a strange thing…' But he found himself smiling at the thought. 'I am in love…amazing! Who would have thought that I, a Clow Card, the fire element, would ever be in love?' Then another thought occurred to him and he wrinkled his nose. 'Watery would have the grandest laugh at this. Huh.'

On the third day, lonely and depressed, Fiery was sitting on the edge of the pond in the park, wondering if he should see San or not. Perhaps she would come to him, or perhaps not. If he truly was 'in love' with her, he had to wonder if she felt the same way. 'Oh, I hope she does…rejection is a FOUL thing.'

* * * * * * * * * *

Unable to escape the watchful eyes of her mother during the day, San had to wait until nightfall of the third day before she could even consider looking for Fiery. She wondered why he hadn't come to see her, but again, her mother was keeping a very, very watchful eye on her daughter, so it would stand to reason that he stayed away. She hoped he wasn't angry with her, for telling him not to hurt her Papa.

'Oh, I hope he isn't angry. I just couldn't stand it if he was. I just don't want Papa hurt! I hope he understands. Oh, Fiery…please don't be angry with me. Please come by sometime…' Realizing that he was probably afraid to come back, since her mother was on a watchdog streak since the incident with her father, San figured she'd have to find Fiery, rather than the other way around. She managed to avoid her mother for most of the day, and when the lights went out, she had to wait until her mother fell asleep before she dared to make her move.

Finally, however, San managed to sneak out the window and head for the pond in the park, a place Fiery liked to visit due to its tranquility. She crept along in her pajamas and housecoat, hiding from anyone who might see her and turn her in. She made it to the park fairly early, and found him floating on the edge of the docks, just above the water. He was staring down at the water, frowning slightly as his wings and flaming hair fluttered in the slight breeze that came off the water.

San smiled, her eyes lighting up when she saw him. Picking up her speed a bit, she jogged toward him, bare feet thumping against the soft grass around the pond. "Fiery!" she shouted, her smile spreading as he turned to look at her.

A smile of his own grew on his face as he snapped his wings out wide. "San!" he shouted back, launching himself toward her, arms spread out. San laughed, jumping up as he swept her up into his arms and spun them around in the air. She giggled, hugging him tightly.

"I'm so happy to see you!" she said, smiling brightly. "It's been too long!"

"I know!" Fiery replied, grinning. "Even though it's only been three days."

The two smiled at each other for a few moments, hovering in the air. Then, 

"Can we fly?"

Fiery's smile grew. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * * * * * * * * *

Sitting on the edge of the pond once more, after an hour or two of spinning, diving and dashing through the sky, Fiery and San were quiet, resting. San was curled up in Fiery's lap with her head leaning against his shoulder, the Clow card having the power not to burn her, if he so wished. They were relaxed as they hadn't been for the past three days, both of them content to just be together. However, their silence didn't last, broken by a question from Fiery who had been thinking quite a bit over their separation.

"San? Why does your father not live with you?"

Looking at him, San bit her lip and frowned a little. "Papa is a drinker. He and Mother separated a long time ago, when I was six. He was always hitting her…and me. Mother got fed up with it, and left him. He comes to visit sometimes, but…"

Fiery frowned. "But when he does it was like that last time." San nodded, looking down. Fiery sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Why do you defend him, after what he's done to you and your mother?"

"He's my Papa," she replied immediately. "He may not be very nice, but he's my Papa and I love him. It is my duty as his daughter."

"And it is his duty as your father to love you, care for you, and protect you!" Fiery snapped back. "Not beat you and frighten you like those boys at school." San's eyes watered and Fiery immediately regretted his words, hugging her tightly to his chest. "I'm sorry, San. It just angers me that a father would do that to their child, especially you. You're too special for anything like that to be done to you."

San smiled at him. "Thank you, Fiery."

"For what?"

"For being my friend. And protecting me." 

Fiery smiled. "It is impossible not to."

Suddenly, San looked up at the sky and noticed the position of the moon. She frowned. "I had better be going home. It's late, and Mother will start to worry if she finds me gone." Fiery nodded, picking her up and opening his wings.

"Then I shall take you home myself, to make sure you are safe," he told her with a grin. San laughed, clinging to his neck as he jumped into the sky and flew her home. As they flew, San's thought wandered here and there, though all had a basic focus: Fiery.

Upon reaching it, Fiery placed her on the window sill, where she sat with her legs dangling out and hair fluttering in the breeze. She smiled shyly at him. "Thank you for taking me home."

"Of course, San. Any time you wish, any thing you want. I will do it."

"Good night, Fiery." San smiled, and she leaned forward quickly, kissing Fiery quickly on the lips before darting into her room and closing the window. She glanced back only once to see him touching his lips with his fingertips, a tiny smile on his face. She giggled silently, winked at him, and then crawled into bed after shutting off the light.

Fiery watched as she snuggled under the sheets, her flame-red hair spread out around her like a halo. His eyes were soft, and the tiny smile was still on his face as he gave her one last glance over his shoulder before he flew away. "Good night, San."

* * * * * * * * * * *

The next day Fiery was flying over the city, his thoughts turned toward San and his own strange, new feelings. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but he wasn't sure how, or how she would react if he did. He didn't want to frighten her away; friendship was better than nothing at all. He didn't know how she felt about him; he knew she cared for him, but did her feelings go further than mere friendship? It frightened him that if he told her she would reject him. He was so lost in thought that he barely noticed something below him.

On a slim glance at the ground, he caught sight of something that made him do a double take. He blinked, canting his head to the side as he flew closer for a better look. His eyes widened slightly. 'San!' he thought, surprised. 'What's she doing down there?'

San was sitting in a small boat on the pond, with a boy and another girl. They were all laughing as the boy rowed, going further from shore and into the middle of the pond, where ducks and geese floated easily, diving for food and quacking. She was dressed in the same blue kimono she had worn the first day Fiery met her, and the fire element card found a smile crossing his face. 'I love that outfit,' he thought with an internal sigh. 'I wish she would wear it more often! She looks absolutely radiant in it!'

He circled above them for a few minutes, just watching San as she interacted with her friends. She giggled, clapped, and talked rapidly, and Fiery could only catch a few scattered sentences that floated up to him on the breeze. 

"He's my very best friend…what I'd do if he ever left me!"

Fiery cocked his head again, straining to hear. The boy spoke. "He was the one…your father?"

San nodded with a grand smile on her face, clasping her hands together tightly. "Hai! He's such a…taking me home…do it myself, and…at night! He's such a dear."

"You really…don't you?" the other girl asked, and San nodded, giggling.

"Silly of me, isn't it?"

And that was all Fiery heard, but he saw the other girl and the boy shaking their heads, grinning at San as she giggled. Frowning slightly, Fiery couldn't help but wonder just what in the world they were talking about. 'Could she be talking about me?' he thought. At the thought, a wide grin crossed his face. 'Oh, I hope so!'

Suddenly, the boy stood up in the boat and pointed at something. San and the other girl turned to look, as did Fiery, and at that moment something went horribly wrong.

The boat tipped, and the boy screamed as he fell back into the water. San and the other girl screamed as well as they were thrown into the cool blue water of the pond, the boating turning over as they vanished beneath the water. Bubbles and thrashing foam came from where the boy had launched himself to the surface, gasping and choking for breath, but there was no sign of San or her friend.

Fiery's eyes widened. "No! San!" he screamed, pulling his wings in close to himself as he dove toward the slowly sinking boat. The boy was yelling and coughing, head whipping around as he searched for his friends and Fiery flew at breathtaking speed down towards the water. All his thoughts were on one thing: saving San. Never mind the fact that he didn't know if the water would kill him, since he was partially made of fire. He was going in, and nothing would stop him.

He shrieked, a loud, horrific sound that made the boy look up in fear as Fiery's body slammed into the pond, sending waves of clear water over the boy as he clutched at the sinking boat. Steam rose around the Clow Card as he shoved himself deeper and deeper into the water, eyes darting from side to side in search of his San. Fish swam quickly away from him, casting shadows across his vision as a deep throbbing pain went through his body. The water was eating away at his flames; he could feel it. But he threw himself deeper into the depths of the pond, bent on finding San and not caring what happened to him.

Suddenly, he saw something. Thrusting himself toward it, he spotted San's friend slowly sinking to the bottom of the pond. Frowning, disappointed that it wasn't San and a growing fear in the pit of his stomach that it might already be too late, Fiery dove towards the girl grabbing her by the shirt and hauling her toward him. He held her under one arm as he turned his head to see if San was in sight.

By some stroke of luck, she was only ten feet away, unconscious and sinking fast. His eyes widened, then narrowed as he used his wings to propel himself towards her. He could feel the cold water eating away at him, threatening to put out his flames and his life if he stayed under any long, but he kept going. Wrapping his other arm around San's waist, Fiery pulled her to him and shoved himself up towards the surface of the pond. Nearly out of breath and knowing that his fire would go out soon, he felt a growing terror that he wouldn't be able to make it. 

Then, he broke the surface. Water sprayed everywhere as he flapped his wings hard, rising out of the pond with steam billowing all around him. He coughed and choked, blurry eyes focusing as best they could on the shore where a crowd of people gathered, shouting loudly. 'I have to keep going, I must! San needs me…'

Exhausted, weak and desperate, Fiery managed one last surge of strength and lurched toward the shore, wings pumping heavily as he dropped from the sky and onto hard ground. He dimly heard the coughing and watery gasps of San and her friend as people surrounded them, and a great wave of relief washed over him as he lay his head down on the soft grass. 

A shadow crawled over to him, and he could hear a soft, female voice crying and coughing at the same time. "Fiery, Fiery, please don't die, don't leave me, please…" He recognized the voice as San's, and he managed to open his eyes and focus on her for one short moment before everything went out of focus once more. 

His eyes blurred as steam rose around him, and he let out a deep, wet sigh. 'San…you're safe…you're alright…' 

Fiery closed his eyes and everything was gone.

To be continued…


	5. She Loves Me?

Standard disclaimers apply—Card Captor Sakura and all affiliated with do not belong to me. They belong to the people who made them, and I am NOT one of them. Dammit.

Note: Ok, chapter five! Thanks to all you reviewers, again, cuz you dudes ROCK!!! Keep reviewing!!! Oh, BTW…things are gonna get real sad in the story. Remember chapter one, where he was reflecting on the relationship? Well, in the next few chapters you'll see how it ended. *pouts* Poor Fiery….bwahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Gotta torture the best characters, ne? lol

Summary: The Fiery card reflects on a past love and his current position as one of Sakura's cards.

Warnings: Minor swearing, angst, AU, maybe some OOC-ness floating around, some violence, etc…

Brightly Burning

By: The Sadistic Cow

Eurynome69@hotmail.com OR eurynome@christismybitch.com

The sun had set, and the moon has risen high into the sky by the time Fiery awoke. Stars shone down brightly as his eyes fluttered open, and he rolled over, pushing himself up with the palms of his hands. He let out a low, moaning sound in his throat as his aching muscles protested and trembled. Swallowing, the fire element card blinked slowly, the world around him slowly coming into focus.

A dark shadow was in front of him, and when his eyes cleared he found himself face to face with a pair of worried blue eyes, wide and filled with tears of relief and fear. He coughed, shook his head, and blinked again. "San…?" His voice was rough and low, and he had to cough again to clear his throat. "What…what are you doing here?"

San's eyes were wet with unshed tears as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, practically pulling him onto her lap as she began to cry. "I couldn't leave you, Fiery! They wanted to take me home, but I couldn't! You wouldn't wake up, and I was so scared you were going to die!"

As San continued to ramble on, sobbing loudly, Fiery could only lay in her lap with a shocked look on his face. He allowed her to squeeze his neck almost the point of suffocation; his eyes dimly focused on the pond where he, San and her friend had all nearly died. He could feel that her clothes were still soaking wet, even after all the hours she had sat in the sun waiting for him to awake, and he also noticed that, despite being made of flames, his wings were still dripping with water. His fire was low, lower than it ever was, and he felt a cold chill pass over him. He shuddered.

'Dear gods,' he thought, astounded. 'I can't believe I did that and survived!'

Abruptly, his gaze fell on San again, who was still clinging to him and crying loudly. His own eyes felt wet as a wave of emotions washed over him. Fiery brought his arms up and wrapped them around San's wet, trembling body, changing their positions until she was in his lap, curled up in his arms. Despite his weariness, Fiery managed to push out some more heat for her, to warm her up. Her skin was very cold, and her wet clothes didn't help any in the cool air of the night.

Rocking her back and forth, he muttered soothing words under his breath as she snuggled into his chest, and he brought his wings around to cover them both. "San, my San, I'm so glad you're all right…" he whispered. He could feel her wet clothes drying quickly with his fire, but it wasn't quick enough, in his opinion. She was still shivering, and coughing a little bit. His eyes narrowed. 

"You're going to catch a cold," he said abruptly, unfolding his wings and floating up into the air with her still in his arms. He gave her a stern look, hiding behind the 'brotherly figure' he had taken on when it came to her welfare. He didn't like displaying emotions in front of her; he did not want to appear weak in her eyes. She looked up at him and coughed again. 

"But Fiery, I'm fine—"

"I'm taking you home," he declared. "I'm not at my fullest strength now, and cannot help you. You need to be in bed, at home, where it is safe and warm. Not out here in the cold, in wet clothes. No arguments, understand?"

San nodded, and rested her head against his shoulder as Fiery struggled to get into the air without dropping her. He was exhausted, but refused to let San walk home on her own in the state she was in. He cared about her far too much to allow that. As they flew, lower to the ground then usual 'just in case', Fiery found himself clutching her tightly as a few waves of dizziness came over him.

'I need to rest…I can't keep this up. I'll rest after I get San home…thank the gods she's safe. I'd die if anything happened to her.'

Upon reaching her home, Fiery pushed open the window with one hand before setting San down on the sill a moment later. Not sure what to say, he floated in the air silently, watching her as she watched him, her eyes half-lidded and red from crying. They were both quiet for a long time, before Fiery spoke.

"You really should get inside, so sense catching cold by sitting out here," he said, softly.

San sniffled, looking up at him with her watery, ocean blue eyes. "Fiery?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you save me and Ling? You could have died in the water, but…you came to save us. Why?"

Fiery swallowed, fiddling with his hands as he averted his gaze. 'I have to tell her…oh gods, this is bad. What if she rejects me? What if she doesn't feel the same way? What if I make a fool of myself? Oh, no, she's giving me those eyes again…I can't NOT tell her. Drat!' 

"Well…" he began, slowly. "San, you are my friend, my closest friend. You are probably the only friend I've had for a long, long time. I can deny you nothing. I'd die for you, if the situation called for it. I have been reading a lot of…romance novels that explain some things I've been feeling about you and I…" He paused, watching her widening eyes and feeling something in the pit of his stomach tightening. "I think I love you, San. That's why I saved you."

San gasped, and Fiery closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the slap to come, and the harsh words that would follow that would break his heart. His head spun as another wave of dizziness came over him.

"Fiery…"

He winced, flinching.

"I love you, too."

Fiery fainted.

* * * * * * * * * *

San cried out, her eyes growing large as Fiery dropped to the ground with a thud. Glancing quickly around, she slipped in her window and swiftly but silently ran down the hall and down the stairs, trying to be as quiet as she could so as not to wake her mother, who she saw sleeping on the couch. She ran out the door and into the front yard, spotting Fiery quickly and dashing to him.

Dropping to her knees, she cradled his head in her lap. "Oh, Fiery…I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do whatever I did, please wake up!" she begged, not noticing that for some reason, his flaming hair didn't hurt her. She was focused on his face, waiting for any sign that he was all right.

Fiery groaned, opening his eyes and blinking rapidly at her. "You…you said you loved me…" he hissed quietly, bringing one hand up to rub his head. 

San nodded, blinking back tears. "It's what I was talking about on the boat today with Ling and Kao. I knew for a long time already, but I didn't know what to do! I had to tell SOMEBODY, and Mother just wouldn't understand, and they had guessed about you a while ago, so…" At his silence, her eyes watered even more and she sniffed. "I'm sorry! It's all my fault you got hurt today, twice!"

His eyes snapped open and, despite the head rush he got, he sat up quickly and spun around to face her, wings flaring open. His face was contrite when he cupped her chin in his hand and gently forced her to look at him. "Don't be sorry, for anything! It wasn't your fault, it was nobody's fault! Things happen that we can't always stop." He smiled gently at her, and wiped away one of her tears with a gentle finger. "We are alive now, and that is all that matters."

Sniffling, but managing a smile through her tears San nodded, then coughed. Fiery sighed. "You should get inside, San. You're going to catch a cold." With that, the fire element card flapped his wings and hovered in the air, extending a hand to help her up. San took it, and they looked at each other for a few long moments, before San smiled shyly.

"Fiery?"

"Yes, San?"

She seemed to think for a moment, before shrugging and jumping up, locking her arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his. Fiery staggered back a little, eyes wide in shock as San kissed him. Then he relaxed, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close, kissing her back. 

'Hmmm…her lips taste like peppermint!' he thought with an inward chuckle. 

Almost too soon, it seemed the kiss ended and they parted. San smiled at him, her arms still around his neck. She giggled at the expression on his face; confused, shocked and pleased all in one. "Have you ever kissed anyone before?" she asked in a whisper.

Fiery frowned. "No."

"Well, you're very good at it."

With that she gave him another, lighter kiss on the lips, jumped down to the ground and dashed inside, closing the door softly behind her. Fiery barely had time to blink in the amount of time she did that. Finally, though, he did blink. And a smile grew on his face as he saw the light in her room flicker for a moment before going out.

'She loves me…holy gods, she loves me…' He looked at the sky and a dreamy expression crossed his face as he launched himself into the air, tired but happy, and headed home. He glanced back only once and saw a face watching him, and he waved. He saw San wave back before disappearing, and he felt a great happiness sweep over him. 

'She loves me!!!!! YES!!!'

To be continued…

REVIEW MEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ja ne, minna!


	6. Losing You

Standard disclaimers apply—Card Captor Sakura and all affiliated with do not belong to me. They belong to the people who made them, and I am NOT one of them. Dammit.

Note: Okay, here's the bad part! Kinda violent but freakier than anything. The next chapter will probably be the last one, but I MIGHT do one after that. I don't know yet, depends on what the voices in my head tell me to do. Anyway, thanks for the reviews! To Luie: Umm…No, I don't know if San can be brought back to life…urg. Maybe! But I dun know. Okay, that's it for now. Enjoy the fic!

Summary: The Fiery card reflects on a past love and his current position as one of Sakura's cards.

Warnings: Minor swearing, angst, AU, maybe some OOC-ness floating around, some violence, etc…

Brightly Burning

By: The Sadistic Cow

Eurynome69@hotmail.com OR eurynome@christismybitch.com

Fiery had never rested as well as he had the next day. His sleep had always been good, but never as good as it was that day. He stayed in his card form, dreaming of when he would see San again, dreaming of touching his lips to hers once more, to hold her and hear her laugh. Not once did he dream of any horrible happenings; everything was right in the world, all because of San. All because she said she loved him.

Upon awakening, Fiery immediately reverted to his physical form. Flames swept around him as he rose from his card in a blaze, stretching his arms and wings and letting out a roaring yawn that rivaled that of a lion. Rubbing his eyes, he looked himself over to make sure that he was fully healed, and found to his pleasure that he was. Flapping his wings experimentally, he found only a slight stiffness to them, which could easily be worked out by a flight with San.

His eyes misted over when he thought of her. 'Ahhh, San…my beautiful San. I can't wait to see you tonight! I will take you on a flight that you never experienced before!' He let out a chuckle, glancing out the window and noting in surprise that the sun was setting. His eyes brows rose and he canted his head to the side in surprise. 'Wow…it's almost night already! I can't believe it!'

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, the sky turned to shades of pink, purple and orange, Fiery shook off the surprise he was feeling when he realized that the sooner the sun fell, the sooner he would be able to see San. 'Not that I can't see her during the day, but it's much safer for us to fly abut at night.'

A huge grin crossed his face as he turned and bolted towards a mirror on the other side of the room. He twisted and turned, preening his wings and trying (unsuccessfully) to fluff up his hair a little more. 'I cannot see her looking like nothing more than a half-naked bum on the streets!' He thought with a laugh as he then turned and zipped toward the closet, pulling out a crimson shirt with wide sleeves, tight at the elbows but billowing out at the wrists, before rushing back to the mirror to hold it up to himself. He turned this way and that, before realizing that he'd have to make holes for his wings to fit through.

Fiery frowned and snorted to himself. 'Clow Reed is just going to have to live without this shirt!'

As he continued to preen and flaunt himself around the room, the sun continued to set, slowly dipping beneath the horizon and allowing night to take over day.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

His eyes were narrowed, pupils dilated and his lips twisted up into a sadistic look of pure glee as he continued to empty the contents of the canister he held onto the walls of the house. He slipped around the house silently, dressed all in black, as the smell of gasoline permeated the air. His blazing red hair stuck to his face and head in sweaty clumps, and his eyes nearly glowed with pleasure.

Glancing around, he pulled out a pack of matches and lit one. Holding it for a moment above the reeking puddles of gasoline, he snickered to himself.

"I told you it wasn't over, freak."

He dropped the match.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Fiery smiled broadly, capering in the air as he flew swiftly towards San's house, which lay on the other side of town. His thoughts lay on her and the absolute fun they would have that night. Finally, he was going to take her to Clow Reed's home, where Fiery himself lived. She had never been there before, and he was sure she would adore the collection of books his master had collected over the years. He also knew she would love the property itself; beautiful gardens filled to the brim with flowers of all kinds and colours, small ponds and birds nesting in every tree.

He would show her around the grounds, tell her every story he could think of. Tell her about the other cards, what they were like, and that when Clow Reed came back from his vacation, she could meet them all. He had kept a lot of things secret from her, as he didn't know how his master would feel if he were to tell her all of his secrets. Not to mention how the other cards would feel…he was positive that Watery would laugh at him, sneer at him, and tell him that love between a human and Clow Card was not possible and that he should just forget about it.

But he also felt that Clow Reed would understand. The man was wonderful, kind and caring, and also very understanding. He would at least try to see it from Fiery's point of view, and perhaps even condone the relationship. 'Who knows?' he thought, smiling as he sped across the sky in a blaze of happy flames and smoke. 'Anything is possible. And I will never leave San, if that's what he might say to me, or if any of the others say that. We are destined to be together. I believe that with all of my heart, and no matter what, I will never leave her.'

Through his happy thoughts, Fiery dimly noticed that fire trucks were rushing below him, sirens wailing, towards a plume of smoke that was not too far ahead. He also didn't register that the orange glow of fire was very, very close to San's home.

He just thought about San, and how happy she would be to see him.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Fire.

Hot, scalding fire that rushed up the walls and cast an orange glow on her vision.

It was everywhere, flaming tongues licking at her flesh and burning her. She screamed, leaping back and away from the orange glow. She stumbled, falling to the floor as acrid smoke burned in her lungs. She began to cough, eyes watering from the heat as the fire slowly moved toward her, catching the ends of her dress aflame and burning her legs. She snapped away from it, crawling down the hallway in a vain attempt to find the front door and escape into the cool night air.

She no longer heard her mother screaming; the fire had consumed her in one fell swoop and the roof caving in. She heard the crash and the agonized shriek moments before, and had known somehow that her mother no longer lived. It hurt, deeply, but her instincts took over and screamed at her to get out, get away. Escape the flames into freedom.

One thought roared through San's mind as she blindly fought to get away from the flames that threatened to burn her to a crisp. 

'Fiery! Help me, please!

* * * * * * * * * * * *

The man watched the fire element card as he raced overhead, and smiled darkly. He only slightly regretted having to kill his daughter and former wife to get back at the stupid freak. He didn't care much for them anyway. They were nothing compared to him, weak women who deserved to die for rejecting him all those years ago.

The freak had to pay for what he did. And if his daughter and former wife had to die to make it so, then he would willingly sacrifice them. Without a second thought.

He smiled cruelly as he saw Fiery speed up, and then dive towards the blazing inferno that was once San's home.

The freak had to pay for what he did. And if his daughter and former wife had to die to make it so, then he would willingly sacrifice them. Without a second thought.

He smiled cruelly as he saw Fiery speed up, and then dive towards the blazing inferno that was once San's home.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Fiery frowned, eyes narrowing as he closed the distance between himself and San's home. He saw the fire trucks racing towards a burning house, and he pitied whoever was inside. 'I may be made of fire but I would not wish a human to die in flames,' he thought. He frowned even more deeply. 'That fire is awfully close to San's home…if the wind blows correctly, it might spread…'

Suddenly, a horrible realization dawned on him. His eyes flew open wide, and he felt his heart freeze for a seemingly endless moment as his speedy flight brought him close enough to see just which house it was that was in flames.

'Oh, gods, no…'

San's home had turned into a blazing inferno, fire trucks and cop cars surrounding it and attempting to put out the fire. Part of the roof had collapsed, the rest of it looked about ready to fall in on itself as the flames rose and licked at the sky like the tongues of snakes. People were running about, screaming, and even more were being evacuated from the neighborhood as Fiery came closer.

But he didn't see San outside anywhere…

With a sudden jolt, his heart once again began to beat, and the breath he had kept in finally came out, only to have his lungs suck up a great gulp of air before releasing it in a blood-curdling scream of complete and total horror and loss.

"SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A mighty pump of his wings thrust him forward, his entire body lighting up brightly as his flaming hair flickered in the wind and his wings glowed with an unholy light. His eyes blazed furiously as he launched himself toward San's home, his heart beating rapidly and sounding like thunder in his ears. Blood rushed through his veins in a torrent, and he could hear, very clearly, the rushing rivers of blood and the horrific drum-pounding in his head, which hurt with every beat his heart took.

He felt the atmosphere around him heating up as he dove, wings outspread to their fullest as a long trail of fire followed in his wake. The very air seemed to crackle and waver as the flame he felt rising in his chest grew with every heartbeat. Below him, he dimly noticed people looking up and pointing at him, then beginning to scream as he fell upon them in a fiery blaze.

He dove low, skimming over the ground and sending many of the trucks, cars and people flying back or bursting into flames. Several of the fire trucks exploded as he passed, causing even more people to be thrown away as pieces of the vehicles flew through the air like bullets, piercing their flesh or being embedded into walls fifty to a hundred feet away.

Fiery could hear a great roaring in his ears, but he didn't care. With every heartbeat, every wave of adrenaline ripping through him, every wash of blood through his veins, he could hear only one thing being chanted over and over and over again.

San. San. San. San.

The very air seemed to part before him and allow him swifter passage, and within moments he exploded through the front wall of San's house. With a snarl, he waved his arm wildly, and the flames were violently thrust out of the way so he could see better. Smoke clouded his vision, but he gritted his teeth and looked rapidly around, searching for any sign of San. He could see into the living room, where the roof had collapsed, and there he spotted a burnt and black arm poking out from under a pile of debris.

Fiery gasped, darting forward and grabbing a piece of the roof. He picked it up and tossed it away, anger, fear and adrenaline lending him more strength than he had ever known before. As he looked down, his eyes fell on the charred corpse of a woman, lying on her back with her mouth hanging agape in a silent scream of pain and terror. Her clothes were burnt right off, and her flesh had practically melted into the floor from the extreme heat.

The fire element card winced; it was San's mother. 

But if her mother was here, where was San?

As much as he cared for the woman, her being San's mother, Fiery couldn't allow himself any time whatsoever to mourn for her. She was dead, nothing could help her. San could still be alive, and if she was, she needed to be saved IMMEDIATELY.

Twisting around, Fiery zipped out of the destroyed living room and down the hall. "SAN!" he screamed, looking wildly about. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" 

Outside he could hear more sirens approaching, as well as the roaring in his ears and the flames around him, and all around him was an orange glow that he was all too familiar with. He barely felt the heat; it was what he was born into, but San wasn't so lucky as to be immune. She was human, and she was mortal. She could die.

He couldn't let that happen.

Suddenly, he heard a choking cough, followed by a gagging sound. Fiery snapped his head around, wide eyes searching the flame-filled hallway for any sign of who had made the sound. "SAN!" he screamed again, darting back and forth, turning this way and that in a frantic eye search.

"F-Fiery! He—" The choking gasps came again, a girl's voice trying to form words but being unable to due to lack of air. "He-help m—"

The Fiery card snapped around again and he saw, huddled in a corner, a dark shape of a young girl, half-lying, half-sitting pressed up against the wall. His eyes widened, and he started to move forward when a huge beam of burning wood fell between them with a crash. Fiery leaped back with a cry. "SAN!"

San couldn't answer, unable to breathe and fighting to remain conscious as she struggled for breath amidst coughing and choking. She gasped, heaving in a great breath of smoke as saliva ran down her chin, mouth hanging open in an attempt to get more air into her lungs. She lifted her head, tears running down her face as her mouth hung open, trying to call out. She raised a burnt, bleeding hand toward him, and Fiery saw that the sleeves of her shirt were burned right off, and her arms were covered with black welts and burns. The rest of her body was also charred, and it dimly amazed him that she could be alive after all the damage done to her.

Fiery began to move forward again, but a sudden, deadly silence froze him in his tracks. Slowly, he looked around, trying to see why it was suddenly quiet all of a sudden. The flames still crackled, the sirens still blared, and San's choking gasps could still be heard, but…

Then came the hissing from behind him. It grew, and grew, until it was a shriek that tore at Fiery's ears and made his heart almost leap into his throat.

Eyes widening, Fiery spun around to see a wall of flame come roaring at him from down the hallway, rushing at him in a wave of glowing orange. It overcame him in an instant, hurtling by him with a horrific roar and a great wind. Fiery spun around again, realizing that San was still there, and the wall of flame was heading straight for her.

His eyes fell on where she lay, and he saw her wide, ocean blue eyes watching him. They were filled with tears; her face covered with black welts and burns, hand still raised toward him and mouth open in a silent cry.

The flames overtook her, and in an instant she was gone.

Fiery threw back his head and shrieked his loss to the sky as the roof caved in around him, burying him beneath the brightly burning beams of wood and concrete.


	7. Moving On

Standard disclaimers apply—Card Captor Sakura and all affiliated with do not belong to me. They belong to the people who made them, and I am NOT one of them. Dammit.

Note: The final chapter! Whahoo!!! Not much to say until the end, so…read, and review! Please! I wanna know if I should continue this in another story altogether. Feedback is worshipped!!!

Summary: The Fiery card reflects on a past love and his current position as one of Sakura's cards.

Warnings: Minor swearing, angst, AU, maybe some OOC-ness floating around, some violence, etc…

Brightly Burning

By: The Sadistic Cow

Eurynome69@hotmail.com OR eurynome@christismybitch.com

Moments after the roof had collapsed on him, Fiery had hurtled himself out of there at a speed the Dash card would have been amazed with. The sky around him had lit up with flames in his passing, and he had screamed and screamed until his throat was raw and he lost his voice. It had taken more than a week to regain his voice, though Fiery couldn't have cared less if he never did.

He never found who started the blaze, though one suspect came to mind, one he passed off as quickly as he could, knowing that if San were alive she would never agree with him. But as quickly as the suspect passed out of his mind, his sorrow and anger did not leave as quickly. It stayed within him, fouling and turning him bitter as acid. He became hot-tempered, even cruel by some standards, and by the time Clow Reed returned home with the rest of the cards, Fiery was too far lost in his own misery to care about anything.

Despite how hard he tried, Clow Reed and the other cards were unable to drag out of him the secret as to his change of heart. He refused to speak of it, snappishly telling them that nothing was wrong, and lashing out when they came too close. Though Clow Reed never gave up, Fiery refused to be swayed into speaking of the tragic events that had befallen in his master's absence. He was loyal to Clow Reed more than ever, and did his duty as a Clow Card, but there was no heart in it. He did as he was told, for the simple belief that he had to and that he had no choice. He didn't care for anyone or anything, and he was cold towards the other cards where he was once tolerant.

When Clow Reed died, Fiery didn't care. He only stared impassively at Kerobaros and Yue as he and the other cards were told of their master's fate. The others cried and mourned; Fiery only watched the sun set with a blank look on his face and a cold feeling in his heart. And all the years he spent in his card form, he didn't once mourn Clow Reed's death. He rested, and turned colder with every turn of the season.

By the time he had been accidentally released by Sakura, Fiery was a vessel of pure rage, bitterness and misery. He cared nothing for anyone, not himself, the other cards, or humans. He went about his way, doing what he wished without any emotion, like a robot. He felt nothing, and he didn't care.

Until he saw Sakura and her wide, green eyes staring up at him as she prepared to release the Watery and Windy cards to capture him. He had frozen on first glance of her face, eyes narrowing as he dimly noted the similarities between her and his beloved San. The eyes, the face, the nose…even the way she looked when she was angry, they were all San's expressions.

When Watery and Windy attacked, he hadn't fought. He had tried to escape, rather. A terrible fear consumed him, a fear that San was coming back to haunt him for being unable to save her all those years ago, and her new form was that of Sakura. The moment he felt himself being pulled back into his card, the terror suddenly ceased, replaced by the coldness he had hidden himself in. 

'She may look like San, but she is NOT her!' he thought vehemently. 'I will serve this…CHILD as I did Clow Reed. San is gone, and she was the only one who made my heart burn brightly with love. I will do my duty as I am commanded, but no more.'

When she called upon him to defeat Snow, he had taken another look at her and her competitor, one of Clow Reed's descendents. The anger in her eyes, the way her bottom lip stuck out in concentration, was also very San-like. And as he noted this, he began to think.

He thought for a long time, and his thoughts were broken only by battles. But even then, his mind hardly strayed from his strange pondering. And every time he looked at Sakura, the sight of her only increased the great decision he was about to make.

*****************

Present Time

'I am one of her cards now,' Fiery thought as he flew silently over the town, wings spread to their fullest and a soft trail of fire following in his wake. 'Clow Reed and the time of San are past…long gone. They have both been dead for a very, very long time.' He frowned, closing his eyes for a moment. 'I don't think San would like to see me like this. When she said she loved me…she loved who I was then. Who I am now is…different. I am colder, I am bitter. San was full of life, a soul that burned brightly in the darkness and lit up my life. She would not love who I am today. Who I was then is long dead, just like her.'

He sighed, looking back over his shoulder in the direction of Sakura's home. He had thought about leaving, running away; it wasn't like he couldn't escape. Here was his chance to run, to get away, to leave Sakura behind and…and…

'There is nothing for me out here,' he thought with a deep sigh. His eyes watched the street lights below him, flickering like small flames in the dark. 'San is gone. Maybe, if she was still here, I could possibly find a place to be in this world. But…' His thought trailed off, and he blinked rapidly as tears tried to fight their way out of him. 'There is nothing for me out here. No one to understand, except perhaps for Sakura and her little competitor, Syaoran or Li, or whatever his name is. They would understand my existence, but they would not understand ME.'

'Could it be that they don't understand, because you don't LET them?' a tiny voice in the back of his mind whispered quietly.

Fiery frowned. 'Don't let them?'

'You never let them know how you really feel. You never tell them what you think. You never talk to them. You never told them about San. You never asked for help in dealing with her death. You don't let them understand you, for you never allow them to see you for who you really are.' The voice was soft, soothing, and pleasant. The words it spoke made sense to the fire element card as he flew along, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought and concentration.

'It is true…I DON'T let the others see. I don't let them know what I feel, nor did I tell them what happened. But how could I? Watery would laugh at me…and what would the others think? I don't know if I could face it, after I failed her…'

The voice came back, strong and indignant yet still softly pleasant. 'Since when did YOU care what anyone thought, oh great and flaming one?'

Fiery froze, jerking completely upright as his head snapped around. His eyes were wide as they searched the immediate area, boring into the darkest shadows below and above as he sought for the owner of the voice who seemed to have spoken so clearly. There was no one, nothing in sight except the town below and the stars and moon in the sky. Nothing could have spoken to him so clearly from anywhere; they would have had to have been right next to him for Fiery to hear their words in such a clear, ringing tone. So if the voice wasn't real, had he imagined it? And who it sounded like…the tones and inflections and the absolute gentleness of it reminded him of…

"San?" he whispered. His voice was swept away in the wind as he floated, wings stretched out as his flaming hair whipped about and he searched for any sign of the mysterious voice. He frowned deeply; wrinkling his nose as he suddenly shook his head in disbelief. "No, couldn't be."

But what he had heard made him wonder. 'Hmmm…whoever or whatever that was, was right. When DID I care what anyone else thought? Perhaps it is time for me to let the past go. Leave it be, and move on. San would want me to do that. I will not forget her, never ever, but…perhaps I should focus more on the now, rather than the "then". Besides, Sakura needs my help.' He snorted as he allowed himself a small smile. 'That child couldn't find her way out of a paper bag if not for me! And neither could the others!'

Turning on one wing, Fiery turned and began to head back towards Sakura's home, where she and the rest of the cards waited for him. 'I suppose I could serve her a little better than I did Clow Reed…she is, after all, a lot like San. She is loving, caring, and gentle…so like San. Her looks are even similar. And…I care for her, as I haven't done for any since San's death. Like San needed me in the fire and I couldn't save her…Sakura needs me to protect her from the dangers that lay ahead of her as a Cardcaptor.' 

His eyes narrowed and a determined expression crossed his face. 'I will not fail this time. I failed San, but I will not fail Sakura.'

Owari

I know; this chapter sucked, but it's the final one. I MIGHT continue this, in fact, I think I will. I have an idea in mind for the next one, though when I get it done is a whole different story. *grins sheepishly* I got a TON of other stories I need to finish, so the idea for the next one might be put on the backburner for a while. But, since the idea of writing a CCS story had plagued me and continues to, I might get it done faster than I originally thought. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little romp through a Clow Card's life.

Ja ne!


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